The chocolate fountain was a real hit-with young and old alike...eventually, when all the goodies for dipping were gone, fingers were used. 

 

hours aglow, the flame and birdseed meet and yet, still it stays alight. 

Friday's Four

Matt is the biggest stinkpot. Yesterday was our anniversary-four years. I was tired. Truly, I didn't really care WHAT we did, if anything because I was just-tired. He came home. He told me I could go shopping by myself and he would take care of the kids. Foolish man-doesn't he know anniversaries are supposed to be TOGETHER???

Well, I tell him I have no interest in shopping by myself on my anniversary so he offers to make dinner and let me relax. The whole time I am thinking-this is all very fishy. He is acting funny. All week, he has told me to pump so Andrew could have milk without me. Then-he wasn't going to take me out? SURELY, he is GOING to take me out....

But then, he starts fixing a snack tray. Cheese and crackers. Peppers. Popcorn. It is looking less likely that he will be taking me out after all. Then-he said, HEY! Why don't we just have SNACK NIGHT?!?! At this point I am on the verge of being angry. Okay. So. First you are going to make me dinner. NOW-you are just going to make SNACKS?!?!? Is THAT all I am worth to you?!?!

The moment I RESIGNED myself to staying home and sucking it up was when I got out leftovers (I am not about to eat cheese and crackers alone, not when I have a delicious pork roast, potatoes, corny spoonbread and other yummies waiting for me in the fridge. He said he would make me a plate. Then he did. That's when I KNEW we were staying home. So-I turned on my favorite jazzy cd and started making myself a (MUCH NEEDED) strawberry daquiri. With homemade whipped cream. Making lemonade out of life's lemons. or TRYING.

But then-wait. Someone's at the door. Julia? Laura? What are you guys doing here?!? Oh-your the BABYSITTERS! That man! He is so insufferable! So mean! So sweet! I love him so. Four years later and many more ahead, Lord willing.

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Today I am a BIT freaking out. Tomorrow is our picnic and basically-I have NOTHING planned. I don't know how many people will be coming or what they will do when they get here. I am REALLY slacking off here! I am SO ill prepared and SO unmotivated to get things done! I cleaned up the house yesterday-so the only cleaning things I have to do are to vacuum and to clean the bathroom. Oh-and about 10 loads of laundry. WELL-maybe that is an exaggeration. MAYBE.

I have to go grocery shopping tonight and move the patio around to accomodate food tables. then I have to make signs for parking, garbage, etc. THEN I have to make table centerpieces. Then I have to get out our tiki torch lanterns. Then I have to start preparing food! ARGH! Four o'clock tomorrow is approaching too quickly!!!

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Following are some pictures from when the Drijfhout family visited us. There are only a few from the pool because my camera batteries suddenly died. The rest are from a very fun trip to the local candy factory. Amazing what you will learn about your area when you get brochures at the welcome center! I post them now because tomorrow I will taking a whole NEW slew of picnic photos. This blog is getting dangerously close to the photo limit!

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As wonderful as blogs are, have you ever noticed there is a LIMIT for how personal posts can be? You can get 'deep'-but only on the surface. :-)

This blog touches only the surface of some of the things that are happening in our family. Others are too deep to express on a blog. That very general and vague sentence said, if you feel so led, please pray for our family. How? The Lord will know better than I. :-)

With this weekends picnic and all the work it brings-I will not be on until Monday-at the earliest. But when I DO get on-WATCH OUT for another flooding of photos! :-) Have a great weekend!

Ineke fish. 

Discovering how much fun water toys can be... 

When asked, "Are you cold?" she replied- "No!! I am just shaking..." 

Better SUPERLATIVE Chocolate... 

Bricks and bricks of it 

just want to dip your finger in there, don't you? 

Remembering these cheerful ladies will make eating the chocolate that much more enjoyable. 

I don't know about you-but I had ALWAYS wondered about how they got the chocolate on the bottom without hand-dipping. No longer! 

ribbons of melted chocolate get re-used as it pours through the grate. 

Making candies at home are so much more WORK! They even have a 'squiggler' that squirts squiggles of chocolate onto the tops for decoration. So high tech! 

A pool of creamy, delicious peanut butter. The smells gave our noses a taste of such goodness. 

Corynn has the best view of all. I was so thankful Falko was so willing to hold Corynn during the tour. I wouldn't have been able to do it myself. She was too small to see onto the conveyor belts but with Andrew on my back, it would have been EXHAUSTING to carry her also. This is where a husband comes in handy... 

Even the tallest of girls needed a lift. Poor mum! 

visions of sugarplums (and caramal and chocolate) dancing in his head... 

this is NUTS! 

This bagging contraption really is SO neat! I loved it! 

Streams of silver silk 

the finished product-pretty as a picture and weighing one pound exactly.